While many would rush to take legal action when assaulted by their employers, the situation is not the same for ex-Sundowns right-back Vuyo Mere, who expresses gratitude for being slapped by a club legend, viewing it as an important wake-up call.
The 41-year-old, now retired, joined the Brazilians in July 2004 after impressing at Hellenic FC and became a household name at a young age. He recently announced his retirement following a stint with TS Galaxy, where he is now part of their technical team.
Mere’s time on the Chloorkop-based team came with several challenges as he tried to adjust his lifestyle in a star-studded club. He shared the dressing room with the likes of Josta Dladla, Surprise Moriri, Esrom Nyandoro, Peter Ndlovu and Brian Baloyi, to name a few.
Speaking to the Sports Gig podcast, Mere narrated how his move to Sundowns came about after Hellenic sold their top-flight status to Benoni United and had to downgrade to the National First Division [NFD], known then as the Mvela Golden League.
He mentioned that Neil Tovey, who was his coach at Hellenic, played a major role in his move to Pretoria, as the former mentor was now in the books of the Yellow Nations as an assistant for Paul Dolezar.
“While I was playing in NFD, Neil Tovey kept tabs on my career. I found out that Ajax Cape Town was also interested in me. I was called to their offices and offered a contract, but their offer was too low, and I decided to take a chance with Sundowns,’ said Mere.
“I arrived in Johannesburg and trained with Sundowns for a week before returning to Cape Town, and after a week, they gave me a contract to sign, but I was too young to sign for myself, and they booked a flight for my father to come to Johannesburg and sign on my behalf.”
Mere stated that his transfer to Sundowns significantly improved his financial situation, although it brought numerous challenges. However, he understood that giving up was not an option, as he realised the potential opportunities on offer.
“To get to Sundowns was a mission, but when you are there, and you realise what you can make out of your life by being there, I couldn’t look back. The way that we were training was too hard, but then, nothing comes easy,” he continued.
The former Bafana Bafana right-back hails from Bloemfontein. He spent the early part of his career under strict conditions at Hellenic’s developmental structures, which were based in Cape Town. He was overwhelmed with freedom, money and the bright lights of Gauteng when he joined Downs.
The success came with several temptations as Vuyo began experimenting with the nightlife and partying, which nearly became his downfall as he struggled to control it before a club legend smacked him back to his senses.
Mambush became known for opting to use his hands to solve problems in 2001 after he slapped his teammate Charles Motlohi following their loss on penalties to Kaizer Chiefs in the BP Top 8 final.
After Mudau’s retirement, he continued working for the club and did not shy away from slapping players back to reality when they were misbehaving. Mere revealed that he became a recipient of those claps after he came to train with a hangover written all over his face.
“We youngsters used to be close to him [Mudau] because he wanted the best from us, so those slaps were out of love and to keep us in line. I came to train on a Monday morning after a night out, and he pulled me to the side after noticing that I was not myself, and I was smelling booze.
“He pulled me to the side and politely asked, ‘What time did you sleep?’ As soon as I opened my mouth, I received a hot clap and he asked, ‘Why are you coming to work in such a condition, can’t you see that you risk being fired? Everything is going well for the team, and you go and do this?’
“I eventually thanked him for the slap because it served as a wake-up call, and after that, I started being careful,” he concluded.
Mere went on to have an illustrious career before hanging up his boots at the age of 40. He represented the national team’s youth structures and bagged nine caps with the senior team.